RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Everyone has a roommate horror story. But even if a roommate always did his dishes and never ate any of your food, you may never forgive him if his “Allston Christmas” recliner brought in bed bugs.

Sure, furniture on the side of the road is free. But are the savings worth it? This is what officials at Boston’s Inspectional Services Department want residents to ask themselves as they move-in.

Bed bugs hide in crevices and dark corners, such as in between couch cushions, between the pages of old books, inside box springs, or on the backs of headboards. They usually bite at night while their hosts are sleeping, giving them their name. As a result, one of the signs of an infestation are small blood spots or stains on bedding and furniture. It’s like a tiny crime scene.

While there has been a higher influx of bed bugs in the city in the past 10 to 15 years, the number of complaints has dropped recently from 410 in 2012 to 344 in 2014. As of August 30, Boston has received 233 complaints since the start of 2015.

Neighborhoods full of college students and dormitories like Allston-Brighton, Fenway, Kenmore, and Mission Hill have reputations for lots of free, curbside furniture and home goods every September, and those same neighborhoods continue to havebed bug infestations, in part because of high turnover.

It’s not a coincidence. The same areas get complaints year after year, according to inspection data.

“One of the issues is when you see furniture out in a corner, it looks like it’s in perfectly good condition—it’s not broken or scratched—so you think, ‘I don’t have table or bed frame let me bring it into our apartment. Although it looks good, the problem you’re bringing into your apartment is much bigger.”

City inspectors try to talk with landlords to ease tensions around bed bug infestations.

To get rid of bed bugs, all the clothes, fabrics, sheets, and blankets have to be removed and washed at high temperatures while exterminators inspect and treat for a remaining infestation. Often, this requires tenants to throw out belongings that may be beyond saving. Relocating isn’t recommended, since this can spread the infestation.